Arrived in Sri Lanka

I flew into Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka this afternoon. this is the last job after emailing family and friends. I am staying fairly central next to a really picturesque lake.

We have got a full month of VSO training in language and cultural background, looking forward to it.

There are only four of us volunteers so very personal training, for me learning Tamil I am on my own with two teachers, so no excuse for not learning it!

Four is a small number and probably not ideal although it worked for us. A group of eight to twelve is I believe more usual. The initial experience can be intense so it is nice to have a choice of company and a variation between day and night. In a small group you tend to go out together rather than pair up or split up. As a volunteer you have no control over this really, but you can always ask how many will be in your intake.

Final Packing

I have got the tickets and flight times and in final stages of packing.

I have discovered vacuum packing for clothes I am leaving behind, I managed to reduce a 240mm pile of suits and shirts to a 50mm piece of board. It looks like a crisp packet after being in a microwave, I suspect everything will need professionally pressing before I can use it again, looking well creased already.

I have got additional weight allowance on the flight, bit of luck as 25kg was proving tight for a 2 year stay.

With hindsight I was given some poor advice on what to take. It can depend on what the volunteer you ask has done or does in country. Your clothes will probably go mouldy if you are in a humid country, also you will probably need to wash your clothes every day and they will be dirty. So you need easily laundered clothes. You can buy clothes in country but be aware that you may not get the size you need. In some countries the majority of the population will be shorter and thinner than western men and women. Also shoe sizes may be smaller. You can have clothes tailored but this may not be as cheap as you expect.

The information is available on the VSO web site but is a general guide.

I took a pair of black work shoes which I never wore, most people wore sandals, cool for hot weather and dry quick in monsoon rain. Leather will go mouldy and rot too.

Bear in mind as a VSO you may not have access to a washing machine so can end up hand washing clothes and bedding, no spin facilities either. So washing, drying and ironing can take a chunk out of your day. I was fortunate and happened to have friends in country with washing machines, don't underestimate how tedious hand washing and drying in a monsoon season can be.

Last few games of Tennis

I played social tennis in the sunshine this afternoon, I will miss that, just have to hope there are courts in Sri Lanka. On the home straight now, getting everything sorted, cleared plenty of room to store my stuff while I am away.

I have flooded the charity shops with the unwanted but useful and recycled the rest. Sent letters to family and friends telling them what is going on, see how many find this blog site. Place your bets now.

For Volunteers, one of the things that you may find hard to do is get regular exercise, in the heat or humidity even walking around can be hard work. I did do some cycling and played a few games of badminton on an evening. Similar problems if you end up somewhere cold, so give some thought to how important sport or exercise is. I did a fair bit of swimming but that isn't always an option. So it is important to know your expectations and do the homework.